Understanding and Forgivness
by Gene 3186
Summary: Is now a full blown multi part Rayne fic. Mr. Universe's first appearance is explained! In my own way of course. Objects in Space AU is before this! Go read it! COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Understanding and Forgiveness

Summery: After Objects in Space AU, Jayne is now in the Infirmary.

Disclaimer: Joss.

OOOO

Jayne Cobb wasn't a good man. Hell, according to his own personal view of himself, he wasn't even a decent guy (but he would never admit that out loud, anyway). But after Ariel, he began thinking about his life, and what exactly he was doing with it. Sure he was making money for his Ma and little Mattie, and getting all the trim he could possibly handle when planet side, but what had he done other then be the kind of person his Ma always said he would end up as?

The blue eyed Merc look over at Simon as he prepared to dope him up for the coming operation. "No drugs, Doc." Jayne said quietly.

Simon arched a brow. "Excuse me?"

"I said no gorram drugs. I deserve this. The pain I mean." He said rather sullenly.

Simon realized what he was talking about. "You know Jayne. What you did was brave. And… I appreciate it. But let's just put it this way. Jayne, what you did on Ariel; it was deplorable, and selfish, but you could have left us. I realize that now. You could have unlocked your cuffs and left us, but you didn't. And…And that's good enough for me. If River says you're forgiven in her eyes," He sighed loudly, "then I guess you're forgiven in mine."

Jayne looked at the doc. "Deplorable? Never mind, don't rightly know what that means, and I'm pretty sure it ain't exactly nice. Shiny then. Let's uh… get this here bullet outta me then, 'fore I go and get all sissified by your fancy-talkin'."

Simon hid a small grin behind his mask and gave Jayne the shot, and then got to work. Just as the large man fell asleep, River poked her head in, dressed once again in a too-large dress, this time one with pink flowers all over it. Simon's taste in clothes was horrendous, but he tried. "Is the large one going to be alright?" she asked shyly.

Simon looked up from now red surgical gloves. "Yes, mei-mei, he'll be fine. We had a talk as well." His eyes went back down to the wound, as he used the scalpel to widen the wound in order to fit the clamps in.

"I know." She stated. "The boy is growing a sense of right and wrong, well not growing, but remembering."

Simon merely looked at her quickly before speaking in a distracted tone. "You mean to say he had one before?"

River smiled sadly, her eyes dark. "Life beats on even the brightest of stars."

Simon grunted, which was a little out of character to him. "I agree. This situation is a lot different then I first imagined. I thought I would be working in a hospital saving people, not aiding and abetting criminals. But it was worth it, just to know that you are safe… well as safe as can be on a ship with a Captain whose plans usually end with him getting shot."

River giggled a little. "Captain Daddy tries his best."

OOOO

Zoë looked at her Captain. "Something wrong Sir? Other then the fact that we just pulled a body from Jayne's bunk and spaced it?"

Mal nodded absent mindedly. "Yeah. Jayne himself."

The Soldier arched a brow. "I don't understand, Sir."

Mal gave her a withering glance. "I don't rightly know what's going on with him. Usually he wouldn't give a second thought 'bout them two, but he went ahead and saved their lives. For some reason it just ain't sittin right."

Zoë gave the captain a small grin. "Change usually doesn't."

Mal looked at her shock etched on his features. "Jayne Cobb, the Mercenary, the most amoral son of a bitch I ever did meet, changing?"

The Warrior Woman shrugged. "Serenity Valley." She stated.

Mal just sighed. That was really all that needed to be said. He saw things there that he thought wouldn't ever happen. Men came away from that battle… well the 150 that were left, changed. Some of them, the most steadfast and set in their way kind a folk he ever met. Mal himself had an unshakeable faith in the Lord above and that battle killed every scrap of belief in him.

"Sir, maybe, now just maybe, he's finally seen something. Something he ingnored for a long time." the First Mate added.

"Serenity Valley." He agreed.

OOOO

After Simon finished his sutures, he turned and washed his hands, like any good doctor would, and announced he was going back to sleep. "He should wake up in another two hours or so, Book. Could you get me then? There are some final post-op procedures I would like to-"

The Preacher held up a hand. "Get some sleep son. I will do as you ask. You're recovering from a wound yourself now."

Simon nodded and walked stiffly from the room and towards his own. Book turned to River. "You can go on a get some sleep now, as well. I'll watch him."

River looked up at Book a nodded not really paying attention. She ran her hand slowly down Jayne's face, now relaxed in from deep dreamless sleep. "Knight in rusty armor. Needs cleaning."

Book arched a brow but said nothing. She stood and kissed the Merc's forehead. With a parting shot of "Keep the hair restrained." She left and twirled to her own room.

Book shook his head and sat down, opening his bible to read.

OOOO

A/N: You wanted pre-Rayne-y sequel, you get pre-Rayne-y sequel. I likea da comments.

Con-Crit is a must. Second venture into this universe, so be a little kind please!


	2. Chapter 2

Mr. Universe? What the hell kinda name is that?

Summery: After the infirmary things go back to normal… kind of.

Disclaimer: Joss.

OOOO

A gentle thump and the sound of thrusters winding down signaled Serenity's landing on Persephone. The crew, sans Inara, of course, met in the cargo bay, awaiting the Captain, who was of course delayed because of "Captain-y things" as he puts it. So Jayne was doing pull-ups, while a certain Crazy person stared. "Gonna stare all day, Crazy?" He growled out, wanting to get the hell off the ship as fast as possible.

"Repetitive motion… useless expenditure of energy." She said simply.

The Merc paused, halfway through his pull-up, arm muscles bulging against the sleeves of the olive drab tee-shirt he was wearing. "I do this sos I look all mean an' stuff. Helps Kaylee over there get better prices, dong ma?"

Kaylee giggled. "Yeah, I wait 'fore 'em to get all the parts together, then I calls Jayne over. He just looks at the price and grunts till they lower it 'enuff."

River just cocked her head to the side, and looked at the arms in question, wondering how they would feel under her own, small hands. Then she looked up at the Merc, noting his strange expression. "Biceps brachii and Triceps brachii are over formed for the amount of manual labor he does. As is the rest of his body… how did he get so… large?"

Jayne looked at River with a wide eyed expression, while Kaylee giggled at the word "large". "I uh… work out." He muttered weakly.

River opened her mouth to speak when Captain Daddy clanged down the steps into the hold. "Jayne, Zoë with me. Doc how you lookin with meds and such?"

Simon looked up and closed his eyes briefly, almost visualizing the infirmary. "I need more thread for sutures, additional needles, as well as…"

Mal cut him off. "Just get what you need; I don't need no lesson on medical… stuff. Kaylee?" he looked at the mechanic.

"Should be shiny, but I wanna get a power couplin'. Gonna to need one soon, 'less you like not havin' heat." Kaylee beamed him the best "please" smile she had.

"Well I dunno 'bout you folk, but I enjoy being toasty warm. Go ahead an' get it." He grinned at her.

Jayne pulled his LeMat out, popping the cylinder out and spinning it, making sure the action was smooth, and all chambers full. "Where we goin'?"

"Badger, like usual." Mal replied, checking over his own sidearm.

The Merc pulled his cigar out and lit it, taking a few puffs. He was in a mighty surly mood. He'd been on this ship for what? Two years? The blue eyed Merc removed his sunglasses and shoved them on his face, scowling deeper then usual. Mal didn't trust him, but given what happened on Ariel It didn't really surprise him any. Zoë didn't trust him, but then again he would be more surprised if she actually formed a thought of her own, always following the Captain around like some gorram puppy. Him and Simon came to an agreement, and once Jayne gave his word he didn't take it back, so they were alright now. If him and Simon were okay that meant he was okay with River- _what the hell?_ _Since when do I care 'bout what Crazy thinks of me anyway?_ Jayne shook his head. All in all he hadn't really cared what anyone thought about him… until now.

Mal looked at his hired muscle, noting the deep scowl and the way his absentmindedly ran his hand over the handle of his gun. The Merc was… thinking. Huh. He jerked his chin over at him, a questioning look on his face aimed towards his First Mate. She just shrugged.

_Gorramit! Am I going soft or something? Been near sixteen years since I been home. Don't need anybody don't want anybody! _He fumed inwardly. The only problem was he wished it was true. Gets a little lonely out in the black, and whores weren't much company.

OOOO

"Badger, always nice to see you." Mal said his tone sarcastic. After that little incident with that little hun dan on his ship holding his ruttin' crew hostage, he didn't much care for the man. But crime had to be made, if he wanted his ship in the air.

"Ahh, Captain Reynolds, I was beginin' to think you didn't get my message after all." Badger grinned, pushing his sorry excuse for a hat up further.

"What is this job anyway?" the Browncoat asked, avoiding any chit-chat.

"Always business," the small man sighed dramatically. "Well, I can admire that I suppose." He cast a wary glance at Jayne who merely bared his teeth in a mockery of a smile, and then to Zoë, who was… stone faced as always.

"Need you to run some computer parts up to a small planet. It nice and out of the way, and is surrounded by an ion cloud. Makes it a nice little spot, don't it?" Badger grinned again, happy to have that annoying man taken care of so he could stop waving everyday.

"Who am I meeting there? Better not be an Alliance ambush…" he trailed off darkly. Ion clouds played hell on sensors. He'd be flying blind until he got to the other side.

"No, no! Nothing like that. A… interesting fellow who goes by the name Mr. Universe."

Jayne snorted. "Mr. Universe? What the hell kinda name is that?"

Badger glared at Jayne. "It's the kind of name that has coin attached to it. Unless, that is, you don't want any coin…."

Mal shot Jayne a glare and spoke easily. "We want the job. Gimme the co-ords and we will be on our merry."

Badger slid an envelope over to Mal. "There you go. I get the usual twenty-five."

The Captain gave a curt nod and turned. "Let's get back now. The job ain't gonna do itself."

OOOO

A/N: Well if anyone would like to be my Beta, then by all means, don't hesitate to ask!

Con-Crit as usual. I crave it. Need it even!


	3. Chapter 3

Cargo, Heat, and Observations

Disclaimer: Joss.

OOOO

Mal walked up the ramp of Serenity, only to be greeted by none other then Inara. He offered her a smile, thinking on how nice it would be if she were here every time he got done from "work". Made a man feel like he should settle down, have some kids and eat a family dinner every night at the same time. Simple, and if Mal liked anything, he liked simple.

"I have a client." She began causally.

That killed Mal's train of thought right then and there. "Where?" He asked, crossing his arms.

That always managed to annoy Inara. Him objecting to her profession was one thing, but being so… so… pig headed about it was another. "Here, and for a week."

Mal raised his eyebrows in awe. "Must be nice to have that kind of coin. Well the job we have is 'bout a week out, and a week back, so…" he trailed off.

"Don't worry about my accommodations. There is a guild house here, so after I can just go there." She nodded once and turned to leave, only to be interrupted by Jayne.

"Another one o' them female clients?" he asked, waggling his brows.

"If you must know, yes Jayne, it is." She said serenely.

Jayne groaned loudly. "I'll be in my bunk."

Mal shot the taller man a glare. "No you won't. Yer gonna stow the cargo, and THEN clean the bay, dong ma?"

Jayne scowled and sat on a crate, facing out the door. "Fine."

Mal nodded. "Well 'Nara, if there's anything else?"

The Companion shook her head and made her way to her shuttle, while Mal muttered something about "Captain-y things" and made his own way up the stairs and to the bridge.

OOOO

Jayne held the cargo in his hands, looking at it curiously. A small black case, smooth on all sides, save a seal that had to be broken with a key. Huh. The Merc walked over the squawk-box and tapped in the Captain's room. "Cap?"

"Yeah Jayne?" Mal asked. He sounded a bit annoyed.

"When you're done with your hand relief, com'on down to the cargo bay… I got the "cargo". And the bay is all shiny"

"I am NOT doing that." Mal argued indignantly.

"Yeah, sure." Jayne smirked and switched the com off. Ten minutes later Mal entered the cargo bay, brows furrowed in confusion as he saw the box.

"That's it?" he asked, more then a little surprised.

"This is it." Jayne just grinned at the shorter man.

"Huh. Well then. I guess I'll just lock this up in my room then. Seein as it's so small and all." Mal said slowly.

"Yeah…" Jayne said, grinning wider.

"What is so gorram funny?!"

"I was just considerin' the fact that it took you ten minutes to get down here. Not doing THAT my ass." Jayne shot back, while climbing the stairs. His laughter drifted back down to the Captain who had the good sense to flush slightly when the brawny Merc was gone.

OOOO

Wash and Zoë sat in the bridge in relative silence. Captain was moody as hell, which always happened when Inara left. For someone who was so hell bent on arguing and allowing all the time they spent together to become unpleasant, he sure sulked mightily whenever she left.

"Lamb-y toes?" Wash asked.

"Yes Husband?" she flashed a rare smile in his direction. Well rare outside their bunk.

"Who are we meeting? Take-off and flying and all that tends to leave me a little out of the loop."

"We are going to meet a man by the name of Mr. Universe. Just a drop off and payment. Nothing fancy." She responded.

"God? We are going to meet God? I'd better get out my Sunday best then!"

Zoë laughed. "Husband, sometimes you worry me."

"I worry myself as well." He said mock seriously, while beckoning her over to him. "You should make sure I behave myself. Starting right now."

Zoë grinned and slid into her husband's lap.

OOOO

Two days in the black had passed without incident. That is until a muted pop and a slight vibration that was felt throughout the ship. Mal rushed to the engine room just in time to see Kaylee put out a small fire. "What the hell was that?!"

"Everything's… not so shiny Cap. Power Coupling blew."

"Kaylee. I don't want to be cold. Can you fix it?"

Kaylee sighed. "Nope. But you won't have ta worry 'bout bein' cold. It's gonna get mighty hot in here soon. It was for the temperature regulator."

Mal swore softly. "Are we gonna burn up and die, Little Kaylee?"

"No Cap, but the whole ship is gonna be 'bout ninety or ninety-five degrees constant."

OOOO

Jayne hung from his pull-up bar, sweat dripping off him. Once the girls had started wearing less Book went and hid in his room, not wanting to think un-Shepardly thoughts. So absorbed in his work out that he didn't see the three remaining females in Serenity enter the hold and look down.

Zoë held her arms out, stopping Kaylee and River from coming into the hold. She motioned to them quickly to be silent and then allowed them to come in. She pointed down.

"Gorram…" Kaylee whispered softly, taking in Jayne's shirtless, cargo shorts wearing form.

Zoë grinned in approval. "He is sure easy to look at isn't he?" she asked in a low tone.

"Beautiful." River agreed. "Scars are almost like art."

The three continued the silent vigil while Jayne dropped down and started dancing around a heavy bag he had hung up, throwing punches, sweat flying off him with each crushing hit. The Merc grinned at himself. He knew they had come in. Coulda smelt the engine grease from a mile away.

River jerked suddenly. "He knows…" she breathed.

Zoë looked up in surprise. "What?"

"He knows we are here. The boy's skills as a tracker and his sensory organs are… amazing." She spoke slowly.

Kaylee stifled a giggle. "That ain't no boy, River. That's all man from where I'm standing."

River looked up, tingles shooting through her slight frame. "Man…" her eyes lit up. "Woman!" she cried out and rushed from the room.

Zoë and Kaylee looked out the hatch River disappeared into then back down at Jayne. He was looking up a quizzical expression on his face, which changed into a roguish grin. "We gonna stare at each other all day or get to some dirty sexin'?!"

Zoë actually laughed, while Kaylee blushed and giggled. "You'll never change, Jayne Cobb!" The mechanic said before turning with Zoë to exit.

The Merc grinned and started to beat on the bag some more. He didn't however notice when the First Mate sunck back in and took a brief capture. _Inara will like this..._

OOOO

A/N: Whew. I'm gonna confess now. I'm not real sure how to write Book. So… I needed an excuse to leave him alone for this chapter. Sorry!


	4. Chapter 4

Scientific Reasoning, Plans, and Reactions

Disclaimer: Joss.

OOOO

After the (deep breath everyone!) Crazy, mind reading, person sensing, premonition telling, genius killer assassin woman's revelation down in the cargo bay, she now had a basic idea of Jayne's behavioral profile.

Problem: Man does not see her as a woman.

Solution: Make him see.

Subject Study: Jayne is almost animal like in behavior. When he is tired he sleeps, when he is hungry he eats, so on and so forth. He smells his food before eating, as to make sure it is safe to consume. His eyes automatically take in everything in the room in an almost watch dog manner. The Merc is always searching with his senses for anything out of place, the result of being in his line of work and living.

River sighed and pushed her hair behind her ears, thinking hard on how she would lure him. She would need to engage all five of his senses at once, with pleasing stimuli. Easier said then done, because she didn't have any practical experience with seduction practices. Inara would, but she wasn't here. Asking Zoë, even if she had experience, would be to invite disaster. She would tell the Captain, and he would tell Simon and all three would throw Jayne out the airlock. Kaylee might help, but that would have the bubbly Mechanic asking questions the Reader didn't have answers for.

The brown haired teenager questioned her motives once again. She was absolutely taken in by Jayne at first because he was the complete opposite of everything she grew up around. But… there was something else. Something she couldn't put her finger on. She felt as if he was drawing her to him, but as large as he was he couldn't generate his own gravitational pull. Could he? She vowed to research on the Cortex about personal gravity before she prepared.

OOOO

Mal sat in the bridge, watching Wash play with his Dinos. "The Land is fertile. After the harshest winter in… hrm… unrecorded history we have thrived and multiplied."

A snort and an eye roll later and Wash was pay attention to his course corrections. "So, Captain Grumpy, what's with the heat wave anyways?" He was striped down to pants and a white tank.

Mal grunted as he finished unbuttoning his shirt completely. "Kaylee says the power coupling that she replaced did something to the wiring, which shorted out the Temperature control. Damned if I rightly know what she's talkin' 'bout."

Wash just sighed. "Well from re-wiring this gorram console all the time, I can tell ya that electrical systems are no joke. Sometimes when you replace a wire it all goes BOOM!"

Mal just nodded. _Damnit, Inara. _He cursed inwardly as if it were her fault._ Why can't I just tell you how I feel? _

OOOO

Simon walked slowly to the engine room, not really sure why. The heat didn't really bother him as much as the others. He merely rolled up his sleeves unbuttoned the first couple of buttons on his shirt. As he entered he looked around, spotting a shirtless Jayne helping a sweat Kaylee off the floor. "Uh… am I interrupting?"

Kaylee laughed. "Nope I just had to get under the engine. Can't move the floor panel on my own you know."

"Oh, I just thought… well with the story of how Mal first met you…" he tugged on his earlobe.

Kaylee's eyes widened in shock. "Did you just call me… a… a…" she trailed off and stomped from the room.

Jayne groaned inwardly. _Stupid Doc._ "C'mere Doc. Now, I'm jus' gonna figure that you don't have a lot of experience with womenfolk."

Simon sighed, his shoulder slumped. "Before rescuing River I had been arranged to marry the daughter of a business associate of my father's. As a way to smooth over a merger. I had never even met her."

Jayne grinned. Kid was greener then a virgin at a whorehouse. This was a subject the Merc could talk for hours about, but he figured givin' the kid a few pointers would help out with the runnin of the boat. It weren't cause he liked him or anything. "Alright then. Let me give ya the skinny here…"

Simon would be a liar if he said he hadn't learned anything from the big man. _Maybe he isn't as dumb as I first thought. _

OOOO

It late into the artificial night that held Serenity to a somewhat normal day/night cycle in the black. River had studied her target with the utmost diligence. She had groomed herself with care, and using the meager supplies she had managed to paint her face. She didn't call it "applying make-up" because it sounded… artificial. She preferred the arts to technology any day. With a last glance in the mirror she made her way down to the cargo bay, where the metallic clanking of the weight set sounded almost oppressive in the quiet space.

Jayne paused. _Cinnamon? What the-? _He looked up, after setting the weights into the cradle. The Merc pulled the towel down from the hanger and wiped his face down, then his chest and arms, casually as to not tip his hand. He reached down to pull his LeMat, his hand actually gripping the handle when he saw her. His mouth dropped open a wide mouthed stare.

"Crazy?" he squeaked. He cleared his throat. Mercs don't squeak.

She didn't say anything. Merely glided over and sat on his lap. She wasn't wearing… much. A simple slip that would go under a dress which was white as the driven snow, so white that it almost looked like she wasn't wearing anything at all.

Jayne was shocked, but not really unsettled. The fact that he wasn't pushing her off his lap puzzled him deeply. _I'm thirty-ruttin'-two years old! She's a slip of a girl! What the hell am I doin'?!_

River smiled serenely. "He fits." She felt completely safe in his lap, her hands around his head, running her fingers through his short hair. The Reader let her left hand drift down a begin tracing the muscles on his chest and then abdominals.

Jayne hissed. "Lissen girl. You don't want to be doin' that."

The Reader looked into his eyes. "Yes, I do." She was lucid. Thoughts coming slower as she was in close proximity to the Merc. He wasn't as dumb as he let on. He was actually very intelligent, with a very keen sense of danger. The thoughts that went through his head were straight forward, and their pace slower. She had a guide in which to base her own thoughts on.

Jayne groaned. Crazy Girl's lips were mightily close to his own. Her mouth was parted, and she was panting lightly. With great effort he lifted her up and off him, placing her to the side as he stood up and moved away.

"Did she do something incorrectly?" The Reader asked, tears threaten to break the dam.

"No, no, no, no." He said quickly. "It's just that…" He stopped. Hell he could admit it now. Try as he might, the girl had wormed her way under his skin. He liked her. "Aw hell River. I like you. I do. But it's just… you're all feng le and… I don't want you to do something now that you would regret when you get… ya know… better."

"She hears and comprehends." River smiled brightly. "She doesn't think it will go away any time soon." The Reader walked over to him and leaned up, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. With another bright smile she twirled from the room.

Jayne sat down on a crate. "Aw hell…"

OOOO

A/N: Well as I write this, I'm sure I'll need to explain Jayne's actions during the BDM… but I think I know how. Feng le or Feng la? I don't know. Where do you guys get all your shiny Mandarin translations? I am also gonna mess with ages… because… because I can! Cheers!

Review please! I crave it!


	5. Chapter 5

Ion Clouds, Happy Compromises, and a very Happy Mr. Universe

Disclaimer: Joss

OOOO

Wash flipped the switch to the Cortex, wiping sweat from his forehead. The blonde pilot to look up at Mal, who was busy dealing with his own discomfort. "Any time you're ready Captain Sweaty Man."

"I sense a lack of respect, Wash." Mal said lightly. "Go on and call him up. Oh, and he should be the only hermit in this section of space."

Wash laughed. "I will try not to be stupid today, boss. Don't you worry any."

Mal stood behind Wash, his impassive business face on. "Well? You gonna call this man or what?"

Wash chuckled. "It would help if I had the connection number."

Mal sighed. "For the love of whatever dear and fluffy lord…" The Captain dug through his pockets finally coming up with a scrap of paper. "Here." Mal handed the paper over.

Wash's fingers flew over the connection controls and a face came up on the screen. "Hello? This better not be Marco's Frozen Pizza Delivery Service. I already told you, I don't want any!"

"So I take it you are Mr. Universe?" Mal asked amiably.

Dark eyes narrowed. "Yeah."

"I got some cargo for you, courtesy of Badger." Mal shrugged.

Universe's eyes lit up. "Excellent! How far out are you? No, that doesn't matter. Just knowing the timeframe just makes time move more slowly. Just pass through the cloud, and then you'll see a big planet! You'll know where to land. Biggest comm. Facility on said planet. Ta Ta for now."

Mal cocked an eyebrow as the screen went dark. Wash looked up at him. "If I became a hermit would I go crazy too?" he asked with all the innocence of a child.

Mal just chuckled and walked away. "Let me know when we get closer."

OOOO

River was grinnin' her damn fool head off. She had been for the last four days, and while it pleased Simon to no end that she was happy, he didn't know the cause, and **that** irked him to no end as well. "Mei Mei, are the medications working that well?" he asked tentatively.

"No, Simon. The medications help her feel what is hers, but it is an outside influence which makes the girl use her facial muscles in such a way." She responded, still grinning.

Kaylee looked up and smiled herself. "Aww, she's got a crush!" the young mechanic squealed.

"A what?" Simon asked, his mind still turning over different medical treatments he had yet to implement.

"A crush, Simon. She's got the googley eyes over some man!" Kaylee clapped her hand together excitedly.

Simon's mouth opened, and then closed. "Who?"

River smiled brightly. "Secret. Only revealed when the time is right."

Simon continued to ask her over the next fifteen minutes, but she remained silent. When Mal entered the mess followed by Jayne, both of them having sweat stains on their shirts, and looking mightily uncomfortable in the heat, he had his answer. River had looked up at Jayne with the brightest smile he had ever seen, and for a second his whole world stopped. Simon watched as the Merc grinned back at her, his eyes lighting up.

"You lousy, rotten, evolutionary disaster!" Simon yelled out scathingly towards the large man.

"What the hell did I do?!" Jayne screamed back, his body tensing.

"You cradle-robbing son of a bitch, she's only seventeen!" the doctor shot back.

Mal looked at Jayne, then River who was looking mightily distressed. "Little Witch?" he asked.

"Simon connected the dots." She said simply, shrugging.

"Jayne there somethin' I need to know 'bout?" Mal asked, his arms crossing.

Kaylee looked at River and went over to her. "It's alright lil 'un. Jayne'll explain everything and it's gonna be shiny."

River looked up, steeling herself. "No it won't. They don't trust Jayne. They will not believe him. I must say it."

Simon looked up. "Mei Mei… you said "I"…"

River looked at her brother, then her Captain, and to a lesser but still important extent her surrogate father. "Jayne did nothing to me. I went into the cargo bay in an attempt to seduce him, which he refused." River moved closer and closer to Jayne, trying to ground herself into his presence. "He removed me and said that we would try to peruse a relationship when I was less… _feng le_." She said, imitating Jayne's voice with the last word.

Mal looked at Jayne and saw real... **feelings** there. Huh. That was scary. "Well doc, if'in they can wait till you find the right treatment, I don't see a ruttin problem with this."

Jayne looked at Mal as if he grew another head. He looked down at River. "Is he on ruttin' drugs?"

River shook her head. "Captain Daddy understands. I'm not sure how, but he understands. Perhaps a similar experience… maybe it was the Saffron incident…"

Simon furrowed his brows. "Fine. I don't want to cause problems. He saved our lives twice, and he deserves trust. But not before she's well, alright?" He pointed his finger at Jayne reproachfully.

Jayne snorted. "No problem Doc. Damn. It was my ruttin' idea in the first ruttin' place."

OOOO

Serenity landed with its usual grace, a gentle thump, which was barely felt. Mal, Zoë, and Jayne entered the complex, following Mr. Universe's instructions, finally arriving in his _Inner Sanctum_, as he so eloquently put it. _That's the problem with crazies._ Jayne thought to himself. _Fancy themselves some kind of poets. Don't matter that it don't make no ruttin' sense to anyone else. Damn rude crazy persons._

The box was in Jayne's pocket, which was sensible, seeing as if they were ambushed, he would put up the best fight. He wasn't fancy about it, he just beat people till they didn't move. They rode the elevator down and stepped out into the large room, one end practically exploding computer and communications equipment, and the other had a long couch, on which sat a busty blonde female. She stared ahead blankly, not making a movement, seemingly unconcerned with visitors.

"Come in, come in! Ahh! You brought Jayne. I've enjoyed your work. Your crew always brings me the best violence!" Mr. Universe grinned up at the taller man.

"Uh, thanks… I guess." Jayne said.

"Don't worry. I know how to keep my mouth shut. Everything you see on those screens in the bar, they see also. And I do too! Piggy back the signal to the source. That's why I wanted you guys. So I got in contact with Badger, and here you are!" He explained quickly.

Mal grinned. "Well always nice to meet a fan."

"Captain Reynolds, did you bring it? It is a vital piece of equipment!"

"Course I did. Jayne give the man his box." Mal said, eyes questioning.

Jayne handed the box over to the small man and crossed his arms. Universe grinned and pulled a key from his own pocket, sliding it home and turning it to the left. A faint "snap-hiss" and a small puff of vapor issued forth, signaling that it was safe to open.

"Yes! Great!" The dark haired man moved to the blonde and pushed her head forward, and parted her hair. Universe deftly opened the back of her skull reveling a complex computer brain. "Now, the coup de grace!" he said giddily, pulling a slim memory tube from the box and sliding it into her brain, and then moved quickly to close her back up.

The woman looked up and at each person in the room in turn. "Ahh, my sweet Lenore! You are finally alive!" The Techno Genius almost cackled with insane glee. He leaned down and hugged her tightly.

Mal looked at Zoë who just shrugged, and made the universal sign for crazy: a finger held against her head, moving in circles.

Jayne snorted. Free trim, huh. Can't really think a man is goin all loopy for wanting to keep creds in his pocket.

"So, I take it we are done here?" Mal asked.

"Oh yes, yes. Here take this. And you know what, here's a bonus!" Universe tossed two bags of coin at them.

Mal eyed the money with appreciation. "You wouldn't happen to have a temperature regulator would ya?"

"For what?" He asked.

"A Firefly midbulk transport." Mal answered back.

"I got a scrap pile out back. Take what you need. I think there might be some Firefly parts back there… not sure though." Universe said, thinking.

"Thank you kindly, if you need anything, just give us a wave." Mal said. This man was a respected client now.

As the three smugglers stepped back onto the lift he looked at them strangely. "Don't you want to come to the wedding?"

Jayne laughed, while Zoë's mouth quirked up at the ends. Mal just shook his head. "Naw, we got people to see, cargo to run…"

"Alright, you're missing out though." Universe said back, smiling.

"I am sure we are. You take care now." Mal said as the doors shut. The ride up was silent as well as the walk to the ship.

Jayne grinned as they walked up the ramp. "Knew he was a nut-job."

OOOO

A/N: Well there you go. Mr. Universe revealed and all that jazz. ENJOY!

R&R please.


	6. Chapter 6

Tying up Loose Ends

Disclaimer: Joss.

Short Chapter, just gonna do what the title says.

OOOO

The crew had assembled in the mess, sans Kaylee, because she was busily rigging the Temperature Regulator. It had been from an older ship, but she had assured Mal it would work, despite being too large… and not really right.

"Alright people. We're just gonna blast off this rock and get the hell back to Persephone. Pick up 'Nara, and get the hell back out, because I got damn fine news." He said in his "Captain-y" tone of voice.

Wash perked up. "Like a bath tub?"

Jayne broke the silence next, "We're gonna transport half naked supermodels who love manly men such as myself?"

Mal sighed, frustrated already. "No, we have back to back jobs, gorramit! More cashy money and all that stuff."

Jayne sighed, earning a reproachful look from River. "What? I was just jokin'."

Crazy just smiled at him, shaking her head. "More to this job then you expect."

Mal looked at her. He still didn't trust her completely, especially the whole Reader thing. "I don't think so."

River just shrugged. "You'll see."

Mal grunted. "Jayne, Zoë and myself will run the thievery, and Book, if you would be so kind as to run some interference?"

Book nodded slowly, "I suppose I could do that. But I will not do anything having to do with hurting people. That money is insured, so yes, I can do that."

Mal nodded. "Alright, here's the lowdown. The bank's on a planet called Constance…"

OOOO

A/N: Short chap I know. But I wanted to tie this in with Joss' graphic novel. I think I'll pick this back up with a post BDM story, but for now I am all Rayned out.

THANKS FOR READING!

Gene


End file.
